20-Percentile Rule is Likely to Stay for IIT Entrance Test in 2014

One of the most debated educational systems in IIT for a while, 20-percentile rule, which determines students’ eligibility for admissions in IITs, will not change for 2014 exams. Though, exams are likely to be preponed by a week.

In a decision unanimously taken by the members of the IITs’ Joint Admission Board (JAB), there are no changes introduced in IIT entrance test exams scheduled in 2014. The news came as a disappointment to many students strongly against the percentile rule since it was introduced in 2013.

The rule demands students to not only clear two-tier exams, JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced, but also be among the top 20 percentile scorers in class XII. And, thus, several aspirants, who had successfully cleared both the levels, failed to secure seats in IIT in 2013 leading to a nationwide protest. Supreme Court is scrutinizing such cases daily to soon introduce effective measures.

“Students who were not selected despite clearing both levels were not eligible as they scored less than the cut-off of their boards. There was no mistake in the system. If there are two consecutive years where we experience a problem and there is data to back the claim, then we might think of revising it," an official was quoted as saying.